Former Celtic captain Paul Lambert has delivered a stark verdict on his old club, insisting they are "nowhere near good enough" at present — but cautioned that panic would not solve their recruitment difficulties.

Celtic's business in the summer transfer window has been limited. Striker Camilo Duran is the only new arrival, while midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has signed a fresh contract after spending last season on a short-term deal. The club had hoped to bring back forward Kelechi Iheanacho and left-back Marcelo Saracchi, but neither will feature in Glasgow this season.

Iheanacho has joined Turkish side Bursaspor as a free agent, while Saracchi posted a farewell message on social media, stating that he and his agent "did absolutely everything within our power to make a return to Glasgow happen." Centre-half Maik Nawrocki has also departed, sold to Lens.

Lambert's verdict

"The squad's not strong enough," Lambert told BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound. "I've seen Celtic, they're nowhere near good enough at this moment in time, nowhere near it. Everybody recognises it."

Lambert went further, warning that the weaknesses which surfaced last season would not fix themselves. "The problems were there last season, so they're not going to change again this season," he said. "The squad was very, very limited on what it was last season. They won't get away with that again — the manager knows it."

Celtic chief executive Michael Nicholson acknowledged the challenge this week, describing the transfer market as "difficult" for Celtic, who face stiff competition from English Premier League and Championship clubs when pursuing players and dealing with agents.

The money question

Lambert — who captained Celtic during manager Martin O'Neill's first spell at the club — believes the club must spend around £8-10m on recruitment infrastructure alone. Yet he stopped short of urging panic.

"I don't think it's time for panic stations," he said, before underlining the scale of the challenge Celtic face in the transfer market. "What I do know from being in the Championship and being in the Premier League, the Championship now is a league where the Premier League was about 10, 15 years ago. You're talking off the scale in some of the clubs in the Championship."

Lambert stressed that Celtic's status as a winning club demands experienced, ready-made signings rather than developmental projects — particularly with UEFA Champions League football on the horizon. "You can't buy young kids to come in there and grasp that club because it's too big and it's too demanding," he said. "You need ready-made players, especially if they're going to compete in the Champions League."

He concluded with a simple warning: "If you don't spend, you stand still. You have to improve."